


Early Days

by Comicbookkc



Category: Snowpiercer (2013)
Genre: Cannibalism, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, No Slash, Pre-Movie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2017-04-10
Packaged: 2018-03-04 15:07:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3072440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Comicbookkc/pseuds/Comicbookkc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set between when Curtis killed Edger's mother and when they first got the protein blocks. Curtis's past demons catch up to him when he agrees to look after Edger, that little boy who he made an orphan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Just saw Snowpiercer and I loved it! Curtis and Edgar's relationship means everything to me.

It had been four and a half years since Curtis put down the knife, but he still remembered it like it was yesterday. He could still hear the woman’s screams in his ears, the sight and smell of all the blood. He tried to push back the memories keep focus on finding over means to survive, yet in his dreams would still replay that day each time he closed his eyes. Curtis guessed it was punishment. Punishment for the others before that day, punishment from the things he did to get on the train, and punishment for leaving that boy an orphan.

Curtis laid on his bunk not wanting to sleep, not wanting to relive that day. His arm was still hurting. He lifted his sleeve and looked at the poor wrapped wound. He cursed under his breath. He was such a fucking coward. He listened to the couple finding warmth with each other three bunks down, the loud rattling of the shaking cart, the constraint snoring from every direction, the crying and whimpering from others in the distance, and the faint echo of people’s stomach rumbling. Tomorrow would be the third day in the row they had no food. People would start to get desperate.

Morning came without Curtis getting any sleep. The lights flicker on and people got up and starting wondering around for there was nothing else to do till roll call. Curtis sat up in bunk rubbing his sore arm. The third day without food, someone was going to try to eat someone today, which meant someone else would offer up themselves. Curtis swallowed hard, maybe today.

“You’re Curtis right?” a young voice called out breaking him from his thoughts. Curtis turned to see a small boy, maybe six, standing by him with a bright smile on his face. “You’re the one who said no more eating babies’ right?” the boy asked eagerly.     

Curtis huffed; it was a nasty rumor going around the tail end. When he dropped the knife, when the man handed him his own arm Curtis freaked, the whole tail end freaked. The old man was the one who said no more eating the young. Yet, everyone took the act of Curtis placeing the baby in his arms back on its bunk as the moment ‘no more eating the young’ came into effect. 

“Go away kid,” Curtis stood up and walked away from the boy. Yet the boy followed like shadow. “Leave me alone,” Curtis snapped at the boy. He liked kids, before the damn train, but now he couldn’t look at one without feeling his mouth fill up with saliva and his heart filling up with guilt. 

“Gilliam says you’re going to be our leader one day,” the boy said. That was another nasty rumor Gilliam had no doubt started.  Gilliam…the old man who offered his arm to save a random baby he had no relation to, the old man who changed everything.

“Go bother someone else kid,” Curtis said. 

The kid kept following him as they walked though rows and rows of bunks, “I heard Gilliam talking with this other boy, I think his name is Black or something, they were talking, well Black didn’t really talk, but Gilliam was telling him how you are a leader and stuff and then he told the kid that he thinks you are lonely. So I asked my friend Peat, who asked his sister, Lisa, who told him that lonely means you have no friends. So I thought I would be your friend. Gilliam says everyone should have a friend.”

Curtis stopped and turned to the boy who was just smiling brightly at him. There were no friends on the train, just people you would think twice about eating if it came down to it. “Listen kid, I don’t want to be your friend. Now go and bother someone else,” Curtis told him then walked away, yet the boy kept following him. In another time, Curtis would have ate him just to stop him from being annoying.

“How old are you? You’ve seen the outside right?” He asked. Curtis did not answer. “I’m five and a half,” the boy told him.

“You’re tall for five,” Curtis said not looking back at the boy.

“Thank you. I pull on my feet everyday to make me so tall,” the boy told him and Curtis almost let himself smile.   

After a few steps in silence the boy began talking again. “Did you know that in the front car they have these things called steak. Bobby told me all about it. He heard about it from his friend, Jack, and Jack heard it from some guy named Blake and I don’t know Blake, but he knows things. He told Jack, who told Bobby, who told me, that in the front of the train there is steak, which is like a food of some kind. Blake said it came from cows. We asked Sally, cause she’s ten, and she told us that cows were these animals that use to live outside the train and she said they use to say moon and she said the moon was this really big rock in space and the cows say moon because they came from the moon and the cows left the moon because it smelled funny. At least that’s what Sally said and she’s ten. She also said that there was this other thing called Mars.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Curtis yelled so loud they could have heard it in the front cars. Everyone stopped and stared at Curtis for a moment, then went back to their daily lives. “Shut up, please shut the fuck up,” Curtis yelled at the boy again. He saw the boy had tears in his green eyes. His eyes looked just like that woman’s eyes…

“Roll call!” a solider called out. “Everyone line up and shut up.” People began filling into the first tail section car in rows.

The young boy inched closer to Curtis, he could see the young boy staring at the guns and shaking slightly. “Come on, they won’t hurt you,” Curtis and the boy stood next to each other in roll call then sat down next to each when they were ordered too. Curtis enjoyed the few moments of quite as the boy sat silently next to him. The soldiers left and people began pushing and shoving each other. People were getting hungry, people were getting desperate. Curtis glanced over to the see the kid still shaking watching the men arguing on who they should eat.

“They won’t hurt you,” Curtis said to the boy in a strong voice. The boy nodded slowly. He stood up and ran away out of fear of the hungry people.

“Curtis,” an old voice called out. Curtis turned to see Gilliam walking up to him. Curtis had actively tried to avoid the old man since that day. He made sure to stay at the far end of the car during roll call and stick to his own bunk. He couldn’t look the old man in the eye, not after everything that happened. “You’re looking healthy, eating well?”Gilliam asked and Curtis finally met the old man’s eyes with a glare. “A joke, Curtis, merely a joke. I heard you had a little shadow following you around today,” Gilliam said changing the subject.

“About that, can you tell that kid to stop bothering me,” Curtis said wanting to get out of the conversation. He hated being around Gilliam he hated seeing his one arm.   

“I’ll see what I can do. It’s funny really, seeing him warming up to so much, all things considered,” Gilliam said and began to walk away.

“All things considered?”  

“That boy is Edgar.”

Curtis froze. His heart began to beat uncontrollably. He wasn’t dreaming this time, but he could see it again. He could hear the woman’s screams in his ears, the sight and smell of all the blood. It all rushed back to him like the train rushing down the tracks.

“Edgar!” She screamed. God, she screamed it so much. “Edgar!” She screamed reaching out for the baby still swaddled on their bunk. “No! My baby! Please no!” She screamed his name again, desperately trying to reach him, but the man on top of her, pushing her on the ground was too heavy to move. His knees dug into her back. His hand was too tight around one of her wrists. Her leg was burning from the stab wound that brought her to the ground in the first place. “Eager!” She screamed once then screamed in pain. A small shard of metal went into her back, just below her neck. She yelled out for the baby again and the man stabbed her again. Then he stabbed again, and again, and again. Blood covered his face, his hands, and his torn jacket. He stood up looking down at her limb body. This was not the first time he killed someone, it didn’t faze him.

He walked over to the baby, the knife still in his hand, and picked it up. He was so hungry. “Give me the knife,” a voice called out.

“Curtis, are you alright?” Gilliam’s voice called out breaking Curtis from the memory. Not knowing what do Curtis ran. He just ran to the vary tail end of the train. The very back, the farthest back, and the place he hated most. He dropped to his knees between the bunks. He hated himself. He hated his life. He hated this damn train.

Curtis laid on his bunk unable to sleep. Someone offered one of their legs after the soldiers left. Everyone started eating, but Curtis couldn’t, he was too sick to his stomach to eat. He had spent time with Edgar, the boy who he tried to eat, the boy whose mother he killed. The boy smiled at him and he talked with him, even though it was mostly yelling. Curtis always knew the baby lived. Gilliam took him away after he dropped the knife. Yet, Curtis never really thought about seeing him again. He never thought about the baby’s life after he tried to take it. He never imaged the boy looking at him with a damn smile on his face.  The night passed by slowly.

“Mr. Curtis?” a young voice called out. Curtis knew it was Edgar. He kept facing the wall not turning around to look at the boy. He couldn’t look at him. “Mr. Curtis sir,” the boy began poking him in the back. “Gilliam wants to talk to you.”

“Leave me alone,” Curtis begged. “Please.”

“But, Gilliam wants to talk with you. He says it’s really, really impo-important.”

Curtis sat up, but avoided looking at the boy at all costs. He stood up and walked to where Gilliam stayed with Edgar following along behind him. The boy is talking, about cows again no less, but Curtis doesn’t listen. He can’t share in the boy’s stories, in his adventures, and in his joys. Curtis quickly arrived to Gilliam’s bunk and pushed aside the curtain while Edgar waits outside.

Gilliam was sitting in his chair covered in sweat and blood. Two men were kneeling down by him with dirty bandages and rags. They were desperately trying to stop Gilliam’s leg from bleeding, well what’s left of his leg.

Curtis gasped and took a step back. “You…you’re the one who gave up their leg?” Curtis asked out loud.

Gilliam nodded, “people were hungry. Besides, no one else was stepping up,” Gilliam said and Curtis rubbed his arm. “Yet, I did not call you here to talk about food. I came to talk about the boy.”

_Edgar! No! My Baby! Please no!_

“What about him?” Curtis crossed his arms.

“I am injured. It is going to be a while till I am well. I need you to look after him. Find him food, give him some place to sleep, and be there for him when he needs someone.” Gilliam said with a cough. Curtis shook his head refusing. “He needs someone to look after him.”

“No,” Curtis said breathing heavily. “I can’t…he’s…I don’t…it’s not my job to look after him.”

“You’re right. It’s his mother’s job, the mother you killed.” Gilliam said and Curtis lowered his head. “Curtis, you must forgive yourself for what you did. Do not forget what you did, but forgive.”

Curtis shook his head. “I can’t, I can’t watch the boy. I killed his mother. I was going to…to…I can’t. I’m the reason he’s all alone on this god forsaken train.”

“Yes you are, but you can make him not alone.”  

Edgar stood outside Gilliam’s bunk humming a lullaby he only half remembered to himself waiting for the two to be done talking. He sighed, they were taking forever. He knew Gilliam was sick. He made his leg go away so people could eat and now he was hurt. Edgar felt his stomach rumble. He was hungry. He was really hungry, maybe he should have gave away his leg too for food.

After a long while of waiting Curtis stepped out from the bunk. Edgar smiled brightly up at him. “Come on,” Curtis said not looking at him, “I’m going to take care of you for a while.”


	2. Eating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains cannibalism.

The first few hours with Edgar were absolute hell. Curtis refused to look at him, or answer his million questions. Curtis showed Edgar to his bunk and told him that he would be sleeping there from now on. Edgar sat on the bunk, thanked Curtis, and went on asking questions about the world before the train and about Gilliam. Curtis was convinced the kid did not know how to shut up. His mouth never stopped running. The young boy always talked with a bright smile on his face. Curtis couldn’t understand it. How could be happy? How could anyone be happy in this place? How could be happy after what happened to his mother?

“Mister Curtis,” Edgar said getting quite. “If I get rid of my leg can I get something to eat?”

“What!?”

“That’s what Gilliam did. He gave someone his leg then everyone had food. Can I get food if I give away my leg? I mean, I like my leg, but I’m really hungry,” Edgar said holding his tummy.

Curtis stared at the boy not knowing what to do. It had been a long time since Curtis had eaten. A woman cut out her own liver and then her arm to stop some men from eating her sick husband. She was an older woman; her skin was tough and leathery to eat. Curtis hated the taste. He remembered how good the young tasted. How sweet and satisfying they were to consume. Curtis’s mouth began to water. His stomach began to long to be filled. The boy was offering. He was willing to give up his leg. It would taste so good. 

“No!” Curtis suddenly yelled out making Edgar jump. Curtis kneeled down to Edgar’s level looking into his green eyes, his mother’s green eyes. “Don’t ever say that again,” Curtis told him. Others would jump at the chance to taste a child again. They wouldn’t hesitate to take Edgar’s leg, his arm, his whole body, if they could. “I know you’re hungry, but cutting off your leg or any part of yourself will not solve that, alright?” Edgar said nothing and Curtis grabbed a hold of his shoulder and shook the young boy. “Alright!?” Curtis yelled in the boy’s face and Edgar nodded.   

“Good,” Curtis stood back up. He looked at Edgar. He was still that scared crying infant in many ways. He was still so young and so vulnerable. “Come on, let’s see if we can find you something to eat,” Curtis said and he and Edgar went to see if anyone else had offered their bodies for food.

Luckily, an elder man, by the name of Mr. White, died in his sleep and he was being offered up to anyone who was hungry. A young man, who worked with Gilliam, was handing out equal shares to people. The shares were small, no more than a bite or two, but it was something. Curtis took two plates, which were just sheet metal with food on them, and handed one to Edgar. They walked back to Curtis’s bunk then sat down. Curtis instantly began eating. He was starving. He was about to finish eating when he saw Edgar had not touched his food yet.

“What’s wrong?” Curtis asked him.

“I knew Mr. White,” Edgar said and Curtis cursed under his breath.

Curtis thought for a moment. The kid needed to eat; he had to get the kid to eat. “Actually,” Curtis said getting an idea. “That’s not…you see that right there is a steak. It was specially brought to us from the front of the train so we could all try some.”

 “Really?” Edgar said with a smile. “Steak from the cows?”

Curtis nodded. “The very same, now go ahead and it that. It may be a while till you have something else to eat.” Edgar ate quickly and thanked Curtis. He went on talking about other planets in space, but Curtis didn’t listen.

When night time finally came Curtis realized that he only had one bunk for the two of them. Curtis let Edgar sleep on the bunk, it was slightly softer than the ground and at least it was warm. Edgar curled up on the bunk and fell asleep in a matter of seconds. Curtis leaned up against a pole near the bunch watching Edgar sleeping. He remembered the way he was sleeping when he was a baby. He was laying in his mother’s arms, safe and warm, that day. Curtis turned away unable to look at him anymore. He had no right to spend all this time with Edgar. It was his fault Edgar was alone. It was his fault Edgar was an orphan. It was all his fault.  

The night went on and Curtis began to watch Edgar as he slept. He watched his small chest rise and fall. The boy looked so peaceful and so tiny. Curtis had been on the train for a few years now, and this was the first time he saw someone look peaceful who hadn’t hung themselves on the rafters. Curtis let himself smile, just for a moment. 

Edgar woke up late, far after the lights came back on. His eyes fluttered open and he smiled seeing Curtis. Curtis turned away. “Did you stand all night?” Edgar asked, but Curtis didn’t answer. “If want to sleep you can,” Edgar jumped down from the bed. Curtis looked down at Edgar’s smiling face with the guilt almost too much to bear. He could hear his mother screaming for him, he could see the knife that killed her in his hand. This wasn’t right. He killed this boy’s mother. He was going to kill him too. He was a monster; he shouldn’t be looked at with such a happy face.  Curtis walked away.

Curtis spoke with some friends avoiding Edgar at all costs. He couldn’t keep doing this. He couldn’t watch the boy sleeping. He’s not his parent. He killed his parent.

“Curtis, my boy, are you alright?” Tanya’s voice called out. She placed her hand on Curtis’s shoulder.

Nodding Curtis rubbed his eyes, the images of that day flashing in his mind. “I’m taking care of that boy, the one…the one I tried to kill.”

 Tanya gasped and took her hand off his shoulder. She went to take a step back, but instead takes a step forward. She put her arms around him pulling him into a warm hug. “You are not that man with the knife anymore,” she said into his ear. “Since that day you have been nothing, but a good man and had a kind heart. You have helped all the people of the tail section regain our humanity. It is because of you Curtis that Edgar lived. You could have killed him anyway, but you didn’t. You put down the knife and you saved his life. You are a good man, Curtis. Remember that, you are a good man.”

Later Curtis went back to his bunk to find Edgar sitting on it swinging his feet off the edge and humming a song. Curtis walked up to the boy and when Edgar saw him he spotted humming.

“I’m sorry,” Edgar said softly. “I’m sorry I slept in your bunk and made you mad at me,” Edgar apologized avoiding looking at Curtis. “I won’t sleep on your bunk again. You can sleep here,” Edgar jumped off the bed so Curtis could sit down. “I’m really sorry mister Curtis. I really am.”  

Curtis knelt down to Edgar’s level. “I’m not mad at you, Edgar and I’m glad to have you using my bunk. I never liked it anyways, I think it smells.” Curtis said with a smile and Edgar giggled. “So,” Curtis said lifted Edgar up onto the bunk, “you sleep here from now one and don’t worry about me alright?”

Edgar nodded with a smile and Curtis smiled back. For the first time since the day got on this God forsaken train Curtis actually felt a bit happy. He sat down next to Edgar and half listened to the boy’s story. He still could not get over how much the boy could talk. Nothing slowed the kid down as he spoke a mile a minute.

Edgar began to yawn and before Curtis could react the boy leaned up against his side closing his eyes. Curtis pushed Edgar off of him and stood up from the bed. Edgar yawned again, laid down, and pulled the thin sheet blanket over him. Curtis leaned on the pole again watching the boy try to fall asleep. It was still an hour till the lights turned off and even if they were off Curtis knew he wasn’t going to get any sleep standing all night. He thought about trying to find an open bunk somewhere, but decided not too.

“Mister Curtis?” Edgar’s young voice called out. “If you want you can sleep in here too,” he suggested sliding to the far end of the bunk.

“No, I’m alright Eder, thank you though,” Curtis said. Edgar nodded then fell asleep. Curtis stared at him in wonder. It was rare to find someone so selfless in the tail section. Edgar reminded Curtis how people use to be, before the train. People use to be kind, be thoughtful, and giving. Now everyone was savages who only barley held onto their humanity by Gilliam’s actions. Without Gilliam to keep everyone in line and be a leader the tail section would become savages. Edgar was different though. Edgar was kind without havening someone to tell him too be that way. He was a child, pure and gentle. Curtis ran his hand across his head. He sat down and fell asleep on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I finally wrote another chapter. Sorry about the delay


	3. Sleeping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story might actually have a plot?

The next four days passed relatively the same. Curtis grew less and less annoyed of Edger constantly following him around. Instead a part of him, a very small part, enjoyed it. He still felt guilt over what he had done in the past, it haunted him every second he lived, but the amount of guilt he felt when he looked at Edger’s face was getting less severe. He taught Edger to sing the alphabet so he would start humming a new song instead of the same one over and over again.

Most of the time Curtis would leave Edger with a friendly Irish man who would watch him while Curtis made sure everyone in the tail section was behaving. People were growing restless. More and more fights were breaking out and everyone seemed tense. Curtis could tell some people were at their breaking point. A few more days, Curtis guessed, and all Hell would break loose again.

By the sixth night Curtis was with Edger, Curtis finally agreed to share the bunk. He needed sleep. He could barley sleep on the floor; the noises of the train and the cold kept him up all night. Curtis knew he would need to be fully rested if someone did finally reach their breaking point and try to hurt someone else.

He ordered Edger to move to the far side of the bunk and keep on his side. Curtis laid on his side facing the other way. Curtis could feel Edger’s back against his so he slid farther away. His toes and arms dangled off the bunk, but it was better than the floor. Curtis fell asleep almost instantly, relieved to be resting on something at least somewhat soft.

Curtis woke up realizing he had rolled over on his back. The lights had yet to be turned on, but Curtis was use to the dark, so it only took him a few moments for his eyes to adjust. He felt something a weird sensation on his chest and side. It was sort of a numb feeling that he didn’t recognize.

Curtis let out a faint gasp when he finally realized what the feeling was. It was warmth, real warmth. Not the kind of warmth an extra blanket or layer of coats brought. This warmth wasn’t just blocking the cold, it was melting it away. It was true warmth, which Curtis thought was all but dead.

Confused, Curtis tilted his head down to see that Edgar had also rolled over in his sleep and was now laying pressed up on Curtis’s side. The young boy had draped his arm over Curtis’s chest and nuzzled his head into clothing. Curtis let out a gasp. He blinked widely and looking around for some explanation on what to do next. Edgar was still fast asleep and Curtis was nearly panicking. He tried to push the boy away from him, but the moment Edgar began to stir Curtis stopped. He didn’t want to wake the boy, seeing how peaceful he was sleeping and, truth be told, he didn’t want the warmth from him to go away either. So Curtis laid there, wide awake, staring blanking at the ceiling waiting for the boy to wake up.

A few minutes passed by slowly. Curtis was enjoying the warmth, the first real warmth he felt since…Curtis pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. The guilt began to resurface. He tried to push it away like he had done with all the thoughts and feelings from before, but it remained constantly reminding him what he had done. It was becoming all too much for him.

He was about to wake the boy up when Edgar let out a cough. Curtis froze fear taking him for a second. People got sick in the tail end often and when they did it was rare for one to survive.  Curtis listened to see if Edgar would cough again. When he didn’t Curtis let himself relax again just as the lights flicked on.

Edgar awoke moments later. He rubbed his eyes, shook his head like he was regretting getting up, and then smiled looking at Curtis. “Morning!” he cheered. Curtis rolled his eyes, already full of energy only seconds after waking up.

Curtis got off the bed and stretched his back to Edgar. “How’d you sleep?” Edgar asked. Curtis didn’t answer not wanting to admit the truth. “Is everything okay Mister Curtis?”

“Yeah, everything is fine,” Curtis said then opened to his mouth to say more only to hear a blood curdling scream echo throughout the tall section. Everyone was suddenly yelling and jumping around. A few more screams and yells filled the air. Someone pushed by Curtis running towards the front of the cart.

“Stay here, don’t move,” Curtis ordered Edgar then ran to where all the commotion was.

Curtis pushed through the crowd yelling at people to let him through. He finally made his way to the front of where the crowd had gathered to see a man lying in his bunk dead. Curtis had to cover his mouth to stop himself from throwing up at the sight. The man had been mutilated. His chest and abdomen had been cut open and most of his organ had been forcefully torn out and were missing. His legs had been cut off and blood covered his bunk.

It took Curtis a moment to gather himself. He began to breathe heavily flashes of others who were like this flashing in his mind. It was like before, back during the first few months on the train, and back when Curtis would have done this if he was the slightest bit hungry.

“What happened?” Curtis turned to the crowd asking his breath still heavy and his heart pounding painfully in his chest. No one answered. “What happened!?” Curtis yelled making the whole crowd take a collective step back.

“We don’t know, we just found him this morning,” a woman said crying. She kept looking at the dead man and Curtis knew what she was thinking. Curtis let out a sigh. No one cared that the man was violently killed just as long as they could get something to eat from it.  

  “We don’t do this to each other!” Curtis yelled pointing at the body. “We are not animals! We don’t murder our own! I know you are hungry, we all are! But we are better than this! We will find another way, together! We are still people, not murders!” Curtis yelled so loud that everyone in the tail section could hear.

“You are!” a younger man yelled. He pushed his way to the front of the crowd to look Curtis in the eye even though he was much shorter than him. “You are one to talk Curtis, acting so high and mighty,” he said with a sneer. “Let’s not forget that you, Curtis, have killed people too!” he pointed his finger right in Curtis’s face and a few people in the crowd began cheering him on. “You act like this big shot leader, saying we are above this, yet you’ve done it yourself,” he turned to the crowds. “Did you all forget what our brave strong Curtis did to that old man, or those two toddlers, or that woman with her baby,” he mocked and Curtis snapped.

Curtis punched the man in the face sending him straight into the ground his nose bleeding. Curtis lifted the man up by his collar, pulled his arm back making a fist and was about to hit him again when lowered his fist and let the man go. Curtis stepped away from him panting loudly. “We aren’t animals,” He said loud enough for most to hear him.

The man stood up, whipped the blood from his nose and disappeared back into the crowd. Curtis lowered his head then he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up he saw Tanya standing beside him. “Come on, let’s clean this up,” she said to the crowd. “It’s okay Curtis, we can handle this, how about you go get some rest.” Curtis nodded and walked back to his bunk.

Curtis kept his head down as he walked. The man’s words echoed in his head over and over again. He tried to think of the man that was killed. Did the killer hold a jacket over his mouth so he wouldn’t scream out? Did he wait for a moment when the train hit an icy patch and the rattle was so loud that no could hear the man yell? Did one person eat all of him? Or was there more than one person? Curtis often worked with others, sharing the kill. The others would hold the parents down, or help him cut up the meat. Curtis cursed loudly at the memories and leaned up against an empty bunk. He was panting again.

“Are you okay?” A voice called out and Curtis spotted Edgar popping his head out from the bunk. “I heard someone got killed!”

Curtis rolled his eyes, news traveled fast in the tail section. “Yes, someone did.” Curtis said and pushed Edgar aside so he could lie on the bunk. Curtis could see Edgar standing next to the bunk not moving. “Go play with that Irish guy…whatever his name is, okay?”

“But what is the killer comes back?” Edger asked in a whisper.

“Then I’ll fight him off,” Curtis said rolling to one side.

“But…what if he comes back for me?” Edgar asked making Curtis gasp and turn to face him. Edgar looked scared and his lower lip was quivering.

Curtis let out a sigh, “Do you want to lay here with me?” he asked. Edgar nodded and hopped on the bunk with Curtis.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long delay again.


	4. Screaming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life goes on even in Hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy mother of God I updated. It's been over a year. A year. I bet no one is reading this or cares, but I updated.

Curtis was still not use to sharing a bunk with Edgar; he assumed he would never get use to it. Yet, here was was, the little boy he was going to kill, going to eat, lying at his side peacefully sleeping. Sometimes the guilt would grow too great and Crutis would wiggle away from the boy only to adjust himself later at Edger's side. Some nights, when it was extra cold and Edgar started to shiver Curtis would pull the boy in closer hoping to share the little warmth he had. It had been ten days now since he was put in charge of Edgar and although he didn't want to admit it, they had been a good ten days. 

A scream woke Curtis up in the middle of the night. All the lights were still off, but everyone was awoken by the blood curdling scream. Edgar held onto Curtis jacket shaking slightly. Everyone was whispering, questioning what happened, unable to see in the pitch blackness. 

Another horrible screamed echoed throughout the tail section. It was a woman. Curtis bolted out of his bunk. "Stay here," he ordered Edgar and ran to the source of the scream. Other people were standing now, confused and lost in the darkness, wondering what was happening. Curtis kept pushing past the crowds. He had learned how to track people in the dark. The tail section had taught him how to follow just one painful scream.

"My kid!" The woman screamed and Curtis froze dead in his tracks. "Please! Someone help! They took my son!" She screamed out. Curtis just stood there unable to move. He kept hearing the screams of so many others saying the say thing. He was back to that day again,  the fateful day he put down the knife. He could see it right before his eyes like a sick movie playing over and over. He kept stabbing that woman in the back over and over. 

"Curtis!"

She was screaming, reaching for her baby.

"Curtis!"

There was blood everywhere. Her blood. 

"Curtis!" There a swift slap to his face pulling Curtis out of his vision. "Are you okay?" Tayna was standing in front of him. Everything came rushing back to Curtis. He ran past Tanya towards the woman's voice. 

"What happened?" Curtis asked as he pushed through the gathered crowd. Someone had found a light and was shinning it on a woman, in her early thirties, who was crying.

"Curtis, they took him! They took my son! Please, he's only twelve. Please, help him!" She pleaded and cried. Curtis saw she had been stabbed twice in the leg preventing her from chasing after who ever took her son. 

"Who were they? Did you see where they went?" Curtis asked. The tail end was cramped and filled with junk. There were plenty of places to hide out of sight. 

The woman shook her head. "It was dark. I didn't get a good look at them. There were three of them though, male I think. Oh God they are going to eat my baby boy."

"I won't let that happen." Curtis turned to the crowd. "Fan out. Find him!"

Before anyone moved a small voice screamed out. Curtis, along with a few others ran towards the sound. The boy let out another yell, this time calling out for help and his mother. Curtis ran to the very end of the train finding a small boy curled up in a corner, bloody, and crying. 

Curtis approached slowly. "Hey," he said in a soft voice. The same one he had been using when Edgar got upset. "You okay, bud?" The boy didn't answer continuing to cry. The closer Curtis got, the more he could see small bite marks on the boy's skin and a wound on his forarms where someone tried to cut it off. "My name's Curtis. I'm a friend of your moms."

"I want my mom." The boy cried. 

"I know, let me take you too her okay? Let's go find your mom," Curtis said in his nicest voice. The boy reached out and latched onto Curtis pulling into a tight hug. Curtis held onto him lifting the skinny boy in his arms, the smell of his blood filling his nose. Curtis licked his dry lips. 

Crutis carried the boy back to his mother, not saying a word. His mother cried when she saw him. The boy jumped out of Curtis' arms and ran into his mother's warm embrace. Crutis felt his stomach rumble as the two continued to hug. He wanted to run. He felt the urge to run away, but to Crutis' dismay and fear, it wasn't his strongest urge at the moment. 

"Thank you. Thank you so much," the woman said holding onto her only child. 

Curtis swallowed. "What happened?" He asked the boy. 

"Three men, they grabbed me. They covered my mouth; I tried to get away. They dragged me away from mama. I kicked, I did, but they kept pulling me away. They...they bit me and hurt me! Then they heard mama screaming and kicked one real hard, I did. They let go of my mouth and I bit one back, right in their hand. I screamed and they ran," the boy explained after both him and his mother had calm down. Sadly, due to the dark, the boy didn't get a good look at who tried to grab him. 

"You're very brave," Crutis told him and the boy smiled. "Get some rest. I'll have someone keep an eye on the two of you. Be safe." He said and went back to his bunk. He knew in the morning he would have to talk to Gilliam about what happened. 

Edgar was sitting on the bunk waiting for Curtis to return. He smiled so brightly when he did that Curtis couldn't help but smile back. "Are you okay?" Edgar asked.

"Yes," Curtis said laying down on the bunk next to Edgar. 

"It's the bad men again, isn't it? Like the ones who hurt my mom and tried to hurt me?" Edgar asked. Curtis rolled over so he wasn't facing him. 

"Yes."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah sorry about the whole year wait...my bad. College sucks. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed and still exisit.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. More action and struggles to come.


End file.
